Because of the increased awareness of the health benefits of breastfeeding for both infant and mother, many women are finding ways to provide their infants with breast milk even if the mothers are not physically present during the delivery of the milk to the infants or not physically able to directly breastfeed their infants. To do this, typically, a woman will express milk using a manual or electric breast pump device that has a funnel. The funnel is placed over the nipple of the breast, and suction is applied by the breast pump to encourage expression of milk from the nipple. A traditional electronic breast pump includes the funnel, a motor to generate the suction for the expression of milk, and a reservoir connected to the funnel to receive the expressed milk. Because of the duration and frequency required for breast milk expression, a woman may express both breasts simultaneously to increase efficiency. This process is often uncomfortable and time consuming. Further, without additional support, the funnel of a traditional breast pump often will not remain over the nipple on the breast; therefore, use of the pump often inhibits the woman from concurrently performing other activities.
Efforts have been made to design brassieres that may be adjusted to give an infant access to a nursing woman's breast. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,501,860, issued Mar. 28, 1950, describes a brassiere with cups that allow an infant access to the woman's breasts. Access is provided by the woman detaching a flap of the brassiere at the top of each cup and folding back the fabric to reveal an opening in the fabric. The opening exposes the full breast and allows the infant to breastfeed from the mother.
Other conventional nursing garments may be configured for use with a breast pump. These designs are often uncomfortable and cumbersome for the nursing woman. Often, the conventional garments include various attachments to secure a funnel of a breast pump to the wearer's breast. For example, elastic bands, slings, hooks, buttons, and the like may be used. Some conventional garments require additional devices or fabric pieces to be added or detached before the funnel can be secured. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,094,217, issued Aug. 22, 2006, describes the use of an elastic band to secure a funnel of a pump and the use of a latch to secure portions of the brassiere when the wearer is not expressing milk.
Many conventional nursing brassieres are not designed to be worn for an extended length of time, but rather, essentially only while the wearer is expressing milk. Often, donning such brassieres or attaching breast pumps, for the time of nursing, requires at least partially disrobing or at least partial exposure of the breast. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,004,186, issued Dec. 21, 1999, describes a garment (e.g., a halter top, a bandeau, a tube top) that the woman wears to secure a funnel of a breast pump to her breast. Breast pump funnels may be inserted into two openings in a central area of each side of the garment.
Conventional nursing brassieres also may not be configured to accommodate attachment and detachment of breast pump funnels while the woman is wearing the brassiere, may not accommodate or support the natural expansion and contraction of a nursing woman's breasts, and may not be designed to accommodate both direct nursing of an infant and pumping of breast milk with a breast pump.